Opel Astra G 1.7 Diesel Review

The driver’s position is not at all different from the previous ones. They realize they found the perfect spot and they are not fixing what isn’t broken, which is a plus.

The dashboard is quite nice and a bit old school. Opel focused on functionality and reliability, instead on the design. Make no mistake, the dashboard is made from high qality materials and the finishing touches are clearly at a very high quality level.

Everything is quite firm and inspires confidence.

The seats are firmly lined and one thing that some people may find lacking is perhaps a better side support.

The steering wheel doesn’t have the ability to move, but is in a perfect position. The view on the instruments and indicators is clear, and the car even has a LCD display.

The visibility of the display is not that great in daylight, especially in the clear weather, but it is readable.

The rest of the features are pretty much a classic for the Opel manufacturer.

One great perk is the joysticks behind the wheel. They are perfectly places, just at the tip of your fingers, and you can easily use them without losing any focus on the steering wheel. The same thing goes for the siren buttons. They are easily pressed with a single thumb from either of your hands.

There are no electric switches for the windows, so the old school manual knobs are used, which some people actually prefer.

The glove compartment box is quite large with two levels and there are other additional places for storage in the car, so it’s quite convenient for perhaps long drives.

The back seats are quite spacious. There is plenty of leg and knee room. The headroom is also really high.

One impressive thing is that there is an incredible amount of light in the car, thanks to the quite large surface of windows. When being driven in the back seat, you almost feel like you are on some sort of a ride along meant to let you enjoy the scenery. The back seats also have optional head supporters.

The seats themselves are firm, same as the front seats. The clothing is fine and is worth preserving.

The comfort and storage compartments aren’t lacking in the back neither. In fact, they are the same as in the caravan model. In the middle of the back seats there is a movable arm rest.

On the outside, this car looks pretty attractive, much more than the previously mentioned caravan version. The trunk is incredibly large and spacious. It is very nicely designed, flat and can hold supplies for a long drive with a family of four.

The car itself has a pretty low centre of gravity. This helps with the stability by a large amount, but you must be careful on bumpy roads.

The engine sounds and runs like a cat, but a diesel model is a bit louder than the other engine versions. This is always the case unfortunately, but it is quite powerful. Of course, the fuel consumption is lower as a trade. It spends between 7,5 and 9 litres in the city, and on the open road, depending on your speed, it can even go under 5 litres.